The Engineers netted three third-period goals to defeat the Union Dutchwomen 3‒1 for their second consecutive Mayor’s Cup victory, remaining the reigning champions. Maddy Peterson buried two goals past the Union goaltender in her second game after returning from an injury earlier in the month; Maddy Papineau netted the Engineers’ go-ahead goal. Amanda Rampado made 22 saves on 23 shots in the victory.

Meg Hildner and Ellie Kaiser scored goals in the third period to secure a vital 2‒0 victory over St. Lawrence. ECAC Goaltender of the Week Amanda Rampado racked up 78 saves in the two games over the weekend, conceding only two goals. Rensselaer still sits in ninth in the ECAC with the win bringing them to 9.5 points.

The annual Dutchman Shoes game is always a highlight of the Rensselaer football season. The RPI Engineers and the Union Dutchmen have a historic rivalry which is the fifth oldest in NCAA Division III and the oldest in the state of New York. Yet, despite each meeting between the Dutchmen and Engineers adding to the legacy of this rivalry, no one can agree on who won the first game in 1886.

Associate Features Editor Anna Zuniga ’26 shares her experience going to The Indian Student Association’s undergraduate Diwali Show.

Reigning-champions Rensselaer scored three touchdowns, two in the first quarter, to secure a 23-13 victory over Union in the annual Dutchman Shoes rivalry game. Not receiving an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, the Engineers will finish their season at East Campus Stadium to take on the Morrisville Mustangs in the Scotty Whitelaw Bowl on November 19.

The Polytechnic interviewed Martin Schmidt ’81 to discuss goals for the future.

Associate Features Editor Anna Zuniga ’26 and Justin Chassin ’22G attended the dress rehearsal and the 8 pm performance of Adam Weinert’s ANTHEM in EMPAC’s concert hall on November 4. The event employed layered symbolism, choreography, and film to criticize the American national anthem.

The RPI Players presented an exemplary performance at the Playhouse this past weekend, displaying an outstanding production of Dracula.

The Student Senate conducted a Q&A session with President Schmidt, asking questions that ranged from mental health, Greek life, and Schmidt’s day-to-day.

President Martin Schmidt ’81 held his first Town Hall where he discussed shuttles, the Arch, and his three-step plan for the future.

Grand Marshal Cait Bennett ’23G gives her take on a previous article by past Grand Marshal Advaith Narayan ’21.

The Engineers secured a 10‒6 come-from-behind victory over the St. Lawrence Saints, scoring on a touchdown reception by Shane Allison and a field goal by Aleksander Maric. The Rensselaer defense shut down the Saints after giving up a touchdown in the first quarter, holding them to just 153 yards of total offense.

The Engineers came back from being down 3‒1, equalizing with less than three minutes remaining in regulation, but could not finish off the Harvard Crimson in overtime when Ellie Kaiser rang a shot off the underside of the bar. Rensselaer tied, remaining winless in the ECAC.

The Student Senate rejected a proposal to increase class dues by one dollar. Undergraduate President Ria Massoni ’24 submitted the proposal so that the class councils and Undergraduate Council could have more funds available for events and to send two students to the National Association for Campus Activities Conference. Also, Class of 2024 Senator Gabriel Tambalini was impeached.

The Engineers sent the Golden Knights home and themselves to the playoffs in their 3‒0 victory. Paul Silva, Julio Rodriguez, and Liam McDermott netted goals in the decisive victory. Rensselaer finished fourth in the Liberty League, granting them home-field advantage for the first round of the playoffs on November 1.

Engineers solidify their playoff position as they survive Ithaca’s late-game surge to win the game 2‒1.

A key part of adulthood is maintaining your physical and mental health. Features Editor Soma Patra ’26 takes a look at Rensselaer’s Student Health Center and the various services it offers.

Miles Thomas was elected Class of 2026 President and Addison Mulder was elected Class of 2026 Vice President. Class senators and representatives were also elected.

Women in the class of 2026 were offered a $20,000 grant in hopes of increasing women enrollment. The class of 2026 has the most women in a single class, although the class itself is made up of 30% women.

The Engineers dropped their first two home games of the season to the Mercyhurst Lakers, bringing their record to 0‒6‒0. Hannah Price scored the Engineers’ only goal of the weekend, and Amanda Rampado made a combined 62 saves on 66 shots for a 0.939 save percentage. Rensselaer returns to the Houston Field House for a two-game set against RIT on October 21 and 22 at 3 pm.

While most students enjoyed a block party on the ’86 Field, others sat in the EMPAC Concert Hall as notable figures welcomed Schmidt to Rensselaer.

Grand Marshal Cait Bennett answers the question everyone wants to know: “Is Marty really that cool?”

The Rensselaer Engineers beat the Mercyhurst Lakers 6‒3 in their home opener after netting a goal 33 seconds in and converting on both of their first two power plays. Jakob Lee finished the night with five points on two goals and three assists, Jake Gagnon with three points on a goal and two assists, and Ryan Mahshie with two goals. In the game the following night, RPI’s Jack Brackett buried an overtime winner to take the contest 3‒2.

The Rensselaer community grieves over the unexpected passing of 19-year-old sophomore Alana Tow.

RPI Sunrise was granted Union affiliation, and the Badminton, ACHA Hockey, and Union Show Tech clubs all received subsidy reallocations.

Set directly across the street from Blitman Commons, 518 Donuts offers a welcoming space for food and fun. Features Editor Soma Patra ’26 gives the Rensselaer student body an inside look into this hot new snack spot.

We are far from a world where AI-generated content rivals what humans create, but recent leaps in AI and machine learning have convinced Managing Editor David Liu ’22 that this future is inevitable.

The Flying Pig Society gained Union recognition. The club wants to hold workshops and bring in professional figures to speak.

If you don’t believe that the 2008 cultural phenomenon Twilight is first and foremost a baseball movie, then you’ll have to step up to bat against Copy Editor Mattaya Gibbs ‘24.

Freshmen Election ballots are now ordered from most nominations to least, drawing criticism from senators who believe the new system is unequal.

Hockey Line returns for the first time in three years with a few changes, and a newly founded RPI Young Democratic Socialists of America club fails to gain Union affiliation.

Rensselaer blew out WPI 37‒0 to remain reigning champions of the Transit Trophy Game and to keep the hardware in Troy. The RPI offense threw for 151 passing yards, ran for 231 rushing yards, and scored five touchdowns. The defense racked up eight sacks, collected two interceptions, and held WPI to 105 yards of total offense to shut them out.

Rensselaer hosted five Division I teams for the Siena Invitational, their first time hosting the tournament. Engineers Aiden Drover-Mattinen and Abraham Yohannes won singles flights A and B, respectively, and three RPI doubles pairings reached the finals.

Executive Board members resisted against limiting Student Union hours, arguing that the Union should be a safe haven for late night students.

The Engineers fell to the UMass Boston Beacons 2‒1 in the opening game of the season, after two first-half goals put the match out of reach. The Engineers return to East Campus Stadium on September 13 at 7:30 pm to take on the Keene State Owls.

People are commonly nervous when they’re left with big shoes to fill. New editor-in-chief Alexander Orr ’25 instead shares his excitement for the role and his plans going forward.

The class of 2026 will be made up of 2,110 students, making it the largest freshman class in RPI history. For comparison, the class of 2025 is made up of around 1,500 students.

July 1 marks the end of Dr. Jackson’s position as president of RPI and the start of Dr. Martin A. Schmidt’s presidency.

Commencement guests must now show proof of a negative PCR test taken up to 72 hours before arrival on campus or a rapid antigen home test taken 24 hours in advance of campus arrival. This update comes after a COVID-19 requirement update sent yesterday sparked discussion on Reddit and the RPI parent Facebook group. Previously, only PCR tests taken up to 48 hours before Commencement were permitted.

As a part of the Earth week events, the Student Sustainability Task Force held a conference to bring attention to the need for an Office of Sustainability at RPI.

Being notified of a positive for COVID-19 test result can be an overwhelming ordeal. The Polytechnic interviewed six students to take a closer look at the experiences of people who contracted COVID-19 while living on campus. While they report being well taken care of during their stay, they still have reservations about certain aspects of their time in Colonie Apartments.

Black Students’ Alliance President Tiffany Filano ’23 details BSA’s end of semester events.

In celebration of Earth Day, Sodexo tabled outside the Union alongside student-run sustainability clubs.

I was scrolling through the RPI subreddit and discovered a post “Why is the shuttle system so incredibly bad?” My Facilities and Services Chairperson roots kicked in, and I decided to shed some light on the current system, why it is so bad, and what the Student Senate is doing to fix it.

Stickers that stated “SKI DRUGS WOMEN” were found around campus yesterday, featuring a picture of a hand holding a pill over an open drink. The Polytechnic has attempted to investigate the stickers’ accusation but has not verified it.

Editor’s Note: This story contains information about an alleged drugging that readers may find triggering.

Cait Bennett was reelected for Grand Marshal, Colleen Corrigan was elected President of the Union, and Ria Massoni was elected Undergraduate President. Check back here for GM Week Election updates as results roll in.

Today is election day. Voting will be open from 8 am to 5 pm at Commons Dining Hall, the Union, DCC, CBIS, and the Folsom Library. Additionally, there are no classes today so that students can vote.

For the first time since 2018, the Rensselaer Union will hold an in-person GM Week debate Tuesday in the McNeil room of the Rensselaer Union from 6 to 8 pm.

“Providing detailed, unbiased reporting of campus life remains my top priority…I didn’t join the paper to tell people who to vote for. I joined to provide people with the information they need to make those decisions for themselves,” explains News Editor William Hawkins ’23 on why he recused himself from The Poly’s endorsement process.

“I stepped down as editor in chief of The Polytechnic over the summer. The decision nearly broke me, though it was necessary to prioritize my health and regain a sense of self,” writes former Editor in Chief Sarah Shiang ’22, upon returning to the newsroom.

On Thursday, the Executive Board passed a motion to revoke office use for organizations in the Student Government Suite.

After Dartmouth seemingly scored a dagger with five seconds left in the second period, the Engineers resiliently rallied back with a four-goal third period to win 5‒3 in the third match of the best-of-three series, advancing to the second round of the ECAC playoffs. In the victory, Simon Kjellberg ’23 recorded two goals and an assist on the game-winning goal from Ryan Mahshie ’23. The Engineers will travel to Cambridge next weekend to take on the Harvard Crimson.

The Engineers scored five unanswered goals, four in the third period, for a 6‒3 comeback victory against Dartmouth. ECAC Player of the Week Ture Linden ’22 and Justin Addamo (Gr) both netted two goals, while Linden and Ottoville Leppänen ’22 earned three points each. Rensselaer finished sixth in the ECAC and will replay the Big Green in a best-of-three series this upcoming weekend for the first round of the ECAC playoffs.

On Thursday, the Union Executive Board passed subsidy reallocations for the Union Show Techs and the Student Senate. A motion to merge the UPAC lights reserve and the UPAC sound reserve was also approved.

Bill Ni ’23 calls for a change of perspective towards New Year resolutions. Instead of starting your year with a resolution, he calls for setting the deadline of your resolution as the end of the year.

Martin A. Schmidt ’81 has been named the 19th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Schmidt will assume his position as president from July 1, 2022, succeeding President Shirley Ann Jackson after her 23-year tenure at RPI. Schmidt currently serves as the provost at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Journalism is in flux. The traditional newspaper is dead. Revenue from selling advertisements in a printed edition is shrinking. Across the country, smaller newspapers are being bought by national conglomerates, and the staffs that understand local issues better than anyone are being eviscerated to cut costs.